NEWS RELEASE 20-FEB-2020
“The lack of oxygen in the period anticipating child birth – a condition that may affect children of pregnant women subjected to a high blood pressure disorder called pre-eclampsia – has been pointed as was one of the causes of schizophrenia. In an article published in Scientific Reports, researchers at Santa Casa de São Paulo Medical School (FCM-SCSP) in Brazil described the way this phenomenon, called hypoxia in the medical jargon, affects astrocytes, one of the most abundant types of brain cells.”
If hypoxia causes problems in mitochondria, we may one day be able to improve mitochondrial function in cases of pre-eclampsia and avoid schizophrenia. Meanwhile, the best way for expectant mothers to avoid fetal hypoxia is to attend all the required antenatal care sessions and avoid high blood pressure disorders.”
Tatiana Rosado Rosenstock, a professor at FCM-SCSP and principal investigator for the study